As monkeypox cases continue to rise in several countries of the Americas, Member States of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) today held a Special Session of the Directing Council to consider a Resolution to address the outbreak, including supporting equitable access to vaccines for at-risk populations in the region. On 23 July 2022, the…

New York state health officials have found indications of additional cases of polio virus in wastewater samples from two different counties, leading them to warn that hundreds of people may be infected with the potentially serious virus. Just two weeks ago, the New York Health Department reported the nation’s first case of polio in almost a decade, in Rockland…

The US government has declared the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency following a spike in cases. The decision will speed up the distribution of vaccines, treatments and federal resources to curb the spread of the virus. It comes less than a fortnight after the World Health Organization (WHO) issued its highest emergency alert following…

The Chairman of Republic Financial Holdings Limited (RFHL), Vincent Pereira, announced today a profit attributable to its equity holders of US$171.5 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2022.  This is an increase of US$16.4 million or 10.6% over the US$155.1 million reported in the corresponding period of the last financial year. In announcing…

In many countries around the world, consumers who are injured as a result of vaccines are covered by government compensation programs. In the United States, there are two government-funded programs that are designed to compensate consumers for injuries, at the same time shielding vaccine manufacturers from liability for any serious injuries their products cause: The…

On World Hepatitis Day, Guyana launched its first hepatitis C treatment program. With the technical cooperation and support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Guyana is receiving rapid testing kits as well as life-saving medicines. “Viral hepatitis remains a global public health threat and Guyana’s leadership is an opportunity to showcase the collaboration between…

While COVID-19 cases decreased in the Americas for the first time in five weeks, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director, Carissa F Etienne, has urged countries to remain alert to COVID-19 and other health issues, such as monkeypox, which was declared a public health emergency of international concern last weekend. “Being healthy and safe…

Spain on Saturday reported its second monkeypox-related death, one day after announcing what is believed to be the first fatality linked to the current outbreak in Europe. “Among the 3,750 patients… 120 have been hospitalised and two have died,” the Spanish health ministry said in a report, without specifying the date of the second death.…

Developed in conjunction with its subsidiary TIB Molbiol, Roche’s tests are already available to scientists for research use “in the majority of countries worldwide,” the Swiss company said Wednesday. All three of Roche’s LightMix Modular Virus test kits analyze samples using quantitative PCR technology, requiring the tests to be run on one of the company’s PCR analyzers.…

A conservative Christian organization says it has settled class action lawsuit against Evanston-based NorthShore University HealthSystem on behalf of more than 500 current and former hospital employees who had objected to the system’s mandatory COVID vaccination policy on religious grounds. About half of those employees either quit or were let go. The rest took the…